By Mike Crismundo BUTUAN CITY - Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents arrested a medical technologist of a government-run hospital and two others following a string of buy-bust operations in Surigao City. Caraga Regional Director III Aileen T. Lovitos, who supervised the operations, identified the arrested suspects as Harold M. Yuipco, 28, a licensed medical technologist of the Surigao City Hospital; and Joseph Angelo Mancera, a certified public accountant. PDEA 13 Information Officer III Dindo de G. Abellanosa said PDEA operatives nabbed the suspects at around 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, inside the room of a lodging house situated at Rizal St., Barangay Washington, Surigao City where the transaction transpired. The poseur-buyer was able to buy one heat-sealed plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance of methamphetamine hydrochloride also known as shabu with an agreed price of P2,000, Abellanosa said. Two P1,000 buy-bust money were also recovered from the suspects together with assorted drug paraphernalia found inside a pencil case which includes a piece of folded aluminum foil strip containing brown residue suspected to be shabu, two rolled aluminum foil strips, a piece of improvised plastic scooper containing traces of shabu, and one piece of opened transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu. Two hours later, a follow up buy-bust operation resulted in the successful arrest of another suspect, identified as Gabriel C. Paras, also a licensed medical technician and a resident of Marañon Village, Zone 3, Koronadal City, South Cotabato, Abellanosa said. He was arrested at 1 p.m. in another lodging house located at San Nicolas St., Barangay Taft, Surigao City. Two suspected sachets of shabu were found in his possession. A P1,000 bill was also seized from the suspect together with different drug paraphernalia, he said. The three suspects tested positive for shabu use after the conduct of mandatory drug tests. Cases for violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Section 12 (Possession of Drug Paraphernalia), and Section 15 (Use of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of R.A. 9165 also known as the “Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002” as amended by RA 10640 were filed before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Surigao City on Monday against the three suspects.